MEET OUR MECHISTAS ON BOARD !

Julyssa Sandoval 
​They/Them/Theirs

Secretary

EMAIL: julyssas@uci.edu
MAJOR: English/Business Administration | 3rd Year

Magdalen Ramirez 
She/Her/Hers

Social MeDIa & Promotion

EMAIL: 
MAJOR:

Marlena Martinez 
She/Her/Hers

External Chair 

EMAIL: marlenim@uci.edu
MAJOR: Criminology, Law & Society | 4th Year
I am excited to be continuing my second year in MEChA as External Chair for the 2018-2019 year. To me, MEChA is a safe space where I feel at home which is important to have at institutions that can make students of colors feel like an outsider. I am surrounded with a group of students who are passionate and that strive for social and political justice. Students that are willing to devote their time and energy to unpacking social issues that impact our daily lives. Some of the social issues that I’m passionate about are colorism, mental health/selfcare, gentrification, LGBTQ+ rights, dismantling white feminism and fighting against sexual assault. With my position as External Chair this year, I hope to bridge a connection with other MEChA chapters to ensure that we are supporting one another as well as reach our goal to take us to the MEChA Nationals Conference that is held once a year.  ​

Marisabel Perez
​She/Her/Hers

Community Chair

EMAIL: marisap2@uci.edu
MAJOR: Political Science | 2nd year 
I am excited to be coming back as MEChA’s Community Chair for this upcoming school year. As Community Chair, I hope to be able to provide opportunities for folks to volunteer locally and also to bring in members of the community to share knowledge on social issues and to learn how to uplift marginalized communities. I am passionate about workers rights, fighting Mexican hegemony against Central American communities,  women of color rights, violence prevention, and immigration issues. I look forward to what is in store for this year in my position! Feel free to email me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

Mayra Guerrero
She/Her/Hers

Student Support Services

 EMAIL: guerrem5@uci.edu
MAJOR: Chicano/Latino Studies, Anthropology, and Criminology, Law, & Society | 4th Year
Issues I am passionate about are difficult to encompass into a few words.  Just to name a few are gender inequalities, race inequalities, and immigration rights. I know that there is an institutional problem and there will be no change, unless we fight for it.
MECha is my encouragement to fight for that change. Before it I felt scared and unsure of my actions. I wondered what would happen to me if I acted on what I believed, and if others thought the same way I did. MECha to me is empowerment, and courage. It is a place you find folks who aren’t afraid of speaking their minds and fighting for what they believe is right.
With my position as Student Support Services I hope to provide assistance to those who may have no knowledge about university. I want to provide to them opportunities they may not have heard of themselves and help them apply for different academic positions while helping them in their current studies. I want to provide safe spaces for them to study, while just being there for any help someone may have.

Josue Ruedas
He/Him/His

Internal Chair

MAJOR: Political Science B.A. | 2nd Year
To me, MEChA is a safe space for voicing unpopular political views and being sincere with the inner workings of the world, acknowledging it for how biased and unjust it is, and uplifting those most marginalized. MEChA is about holding folks accountable for their actions, educating, and progressing as a community while reflecting on our own past misconceptions and taking them as a stepping stone toward the formation of a better community between all people of color. As Internal Chair for the 2018-2019 academic year, I hope to build a stronger connection between MEChA and other organizations uplifting people of color politics as well as professors and other UCI Staff understanding of the struggle and oppressive systems faced by people of color. Among the social issues I am passionate about or are of my concern are: sexual assault and violence prevention, homelessness, the occupation of indigenous lands, the internalization of discriminatory sentiments, the dismantling of the capitalist state and current Amerikkkan plutocracy, and bringing an end to the current police force and the terrorist organization known as I.C.E. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Fatima B. 
​She/Her/Hers 

Chairperson

EMAIL: febravo@uci.edu 
MAJOR: Sociology and Social Policy & Public Service | 4th Year 

Outreach Team

Denise Sanchez 
She/Her/Hers

Outreach Chair

 EMAIL: denises2@uci.edu
MAJOR: Psychology and Education Sciences | 4th year
Some issues I am passionate about: Body positivity, Supporting undocumented/immigrant community, LGBTQ+ Community,  racism, and destigmintation of mental health.
For me MEChA means being able to express myself freely in topics that are surrounding the latin community in a comfortable space and learn from each other.
With my position in outreach,  I hope to contact as many schools possible that may be interested in UCI MEChA. I am also very excited to bring back the Youth Empowerment Conference and encourage more students to higher education while also expressing our culture.

Petra De La Cruz 
She/Her/Hers

La Escuelita Chair 

EMAIL: 
MAJOR: Gender and Sexuality Studies & Public Health Policy | 5th Year
Issues that I am passionate about access to higher education for all marginalized groups, immigrant rights, and queer rights. When I first came to UCI, MEChA was the space where I was able to grow, unlearn and hold space for one another. Within my position, I hope to continue La Escuelita, an outreach program that takes place in Santa Ana High School, that centers on creating spaces for youth to have discussions about social justice and issues in their communities. Please let me know if you have any questions or want to share space, I am always open!

Marlena Martinez 
She/Her/Hers

Resistance Youth Conference Coordinator

EMAIL: marlenim@uci.edu
MAJOR: Criminology, Law & Society | 4th Year
This year I am happy to be coordinating this year’s Youth Empowerment Conference. This conference will help students of color from local high schools and community colleges learn how to apply for financial aid, scholarships, university applications and how to navigate through the university life all while being provided cultural entertainment. This conference is greatly important to me since I joined as a transfer student and I’m familiar with the negative feelings that come with trying to settle in a university. Unfortunately, even with all the hard work they put in, students of color tend to experience imposter syndrome at learning institutions. Therefore, my goal with this conference is to have the students feeling comfortable, ready and confident in their abilities. If you are interested in helping out please email me!

Support Groups

Manuel Teran
​He/Him/His 

La Familia Chair 

EMAIL: lafamilia.mecha@gmail.com
MAJOR: Psychology & Social Behavior and Criminology, Law, & Society | 2nd Year
Social issues I am passionate about- Dismantling toxic masculinity, Mexican Hegemony in the Latinx community, LGBTQ+ issues, immigration issues, racism, sexism, ableism, and the destigmatization of mental illnesses and mental health issues.
​To me, Mecha is a family in which people can come to speak about the issues that are specific to the Latinx community. Just some issues that exist involve the pervasive racism, homophobia, and delegitimization of mental illness in the community. For me, Mecha is a safe space where folks can speak upon these issues and learn how to hold themselves accountable for their own actions. The space is one where marginalized folks can hear about each others’ experience navigating through the UC system, without white, cisgendered folks controlling the conversation. With my position as the La Familia support group member, I hope that I can bring validation to LGBTQ+ folks who suffer from the anti queer and transphobic sentiments that may be instilled in their daily lives. I hope I can help these folks be able to find community and make friends with one another in this support group at UCI. Also, I hope to provide resources and have conversations about queer issues in the media and around the world. Lastly, I hope to maintain a focus on mental health and making sure that this space remains a closed space to obtain safety for all goers.

Magdalen Ramirez
She/Her/Hers

Para Mujeres Chair

EMAIL:  paramujeres.mecha@gmail.com
MAJOR:

Committee Team

Hilda Crisantos
​She/Her/Hers

Dia de los Muertos Coordinator

EMAIL: hcrisant@uci.edu
MAJOR: Chicanx/Latinx and Social Ecology with Education minor
Hey y’all! I am so excited that I will be the Dia de Los Muertos Coordinator this year! MEChA is a home away from home, a safe space, a sala (we have an office) to have chisme updates with fellow members, who I call my friends. I have been a member of MEChA since my freshman year of college, therefore, it holds a special place in my heart because it is here where I met the best people I now call my best friends. I love what MEChA stands for and how we always keep learning to better ourselves and those around us. I hope that by being Dia coordinator, I can spread our culture and bring light its importance, while reminding others that it is something completely different from Halloween. I hope you find interest in joining the Dia de Los Muertos committee if you find Dia as special as me. Thank you and have a nice day!​